The key to managing com complexity is breaking it down into smaller, related pieces. … Continue reading »
Software Environmentalists
We hear it all the time…we must protect the environment. Cities have complex recycling systems in place, the EPA is passing more and more stringent environmental protection laws, and the concept of a “carbon footprint” has seeped into our regular vocabulary. But have you ever considered that the same ideas behind environmental conservation – the … Continue reading »
The big picture
Over the years, I have learned something very odd about software that many people know but never consciously realize. I am sure sales people know about it because it is just the kind of thing that sales people live for…like “Sell to their heart and appeal to their head” or “The real price is the … Continue reading »
Sharpening the Focus on Configuration Integrity Items
In order to show how mapping each item in a project to a CII an make managing the project easier, it is necessary to define some type of structure that we can talk about. In this instalment I will talk about the structure of an CII and why it is so flexible. As I have … Continue reading »
Configuration Integrity Items Basics (CII-101)
Last time I talked about how every part of a project must be uniquely identifiable and explained how the Integrity Management Item (CII) can be used to perform this task. What I didn’t really explain was what an CII looks like, where it lives, and what it can do other than be unique. While being … Continue reading »
A Huge Floating Mass of Metal or a Collection of Related Units?
In my last article I talked about the need for a unique identifier for each Integrity Control Item (ICI). I am going to expand on that concept this time around. If you end up following this series all the way through, when you look back you will see that the IM is so critical to … Continue reading »
Complexity Management in the Canned Veggies Aisle
Some of you older folks may remember a time when grocery stores put price stickers on everything. Each can of green beans or salad dressing had a white or orange sticker on it with a price. No barcode, just a simple number like “$1.29″. When you checked out, there was a cashier who could (brace … Continue reading »
Diving in to Project Integrity Management
What is “Project Integrity Management”? How is it different from Configuration Management? How does it make it any easier to prevent the dreaded project meltdown? I’m glad you asked. As mentioned in a previous article, Configuration Management attempts to control elements of a project, specifically controlling and managing the constant change of information associated with … Continue reading »
The Ten Million Dollar Software Project Comparison
I would like to start by admitting that I am cursed. SPOILER WARNING: if you are considering hiring me, please stop reading now! I am an albatross to companies that hire me. It is unexplainable, but true. It is not that I sabotage them or fail to do my job, it is just that I … Continue reading »
If the Developers Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy!
In my last article I put for the theory that the most important thing to do when considering a new methodology, especially something as far reaching as CM (or as I have renamed it, Project Integrity Management, or PIM – I can do that, its my article), is make sure you have the support of … Continue reading »